Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Public health has introduced many measures on Covid-19 since the start of the outbreak. Many measures were called for by medical professionals before public health or the Government reacted. Masks are a case in point together, as was the early adoption of testing and tracing. Mandatory hotel quarantine was requested for a considerable period of time. I am glad, as the Minister and previous speakers noted, that it has had a significant effect in protecting us from incoming variants.

We are possibly in a very tough position now given the progression of the Indian variant across the water. The logic of our approach to imposing mandatory hotel quarantine in the Republic has to be questioned when people are able to sidestep it by coming in through Belfast Airport. It has been said many times that we need a whole-island approach to the island's defence against incoming variants.

Mandatory quarantine has put significant pressure on international travel. That was the idea. It has also damaged future travel connections and we have to see how soon we can begin to rebuild these connections. It has also affected travel in and out of the country for people who work in the foreign direct investment sector. That, too, is a cost to the economy.

Mandatory hotel quarantine has worked but anomalies exist. I will point to just one which was mentioned by Deputy Ó Cathasaigh in respect of people from the United Arab Emirates who may wish to travel into Ireland for necessary functions and have taken a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization but not by the EMA. I represent a family of two parents with two disabled children. How will they be looked after if the family has to spend two weeks in quarantine? They have to come home. This is a significant case. The family have correctly pointed out that they are vaccinated but the vaccine they received is not recognised here, even though it is recognised by the WHO. We have to recognise vaccination centres from overseas. How will we verify vaccination for future travel? What technology is being considered?

We are talking about potentially reopening the economy soon, and it has been suggested that we are going to have significant technology difficulties with managing that in the context of European and worldwide vaccination certificates.

A number of Deputies mentioned the issue of people who are awaiting second doses of Pfizer or AstraZeneca. There is considerable disquiet among a number of people at the talk of the Indian variant. I am sure the Minister is aware the UK is making moves to reduce the timelines and I again ask that NPHET look at this, particularly in light of the transmission potential of the Indian variant to people who have had only once dose of vaccine.

As the Minister will be aware, a bugbear of mine and many others is the ongoing situation with antigen testing. Will the Minister comment on the Professor Ferguson report? The professor reported to an Oireachtas committee just a couple of weeks ago that the only Department that had engaged with him subsequent to the publication of his report was the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and its Minister, Deputy Harris. Is the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, aware whether that has since changed and, if so, does he know which other Departments have talked to the professor and what pilot testing they are considering?

We have to keep going with mandatory hotel quarantine, but I might highlight for the Minister an anecdote about a couple who have recently returned from mandatory hotel quarantine in Portugal. Despite their being in quarantine, they were able to get out during the day quite a number of times and travel around with a degree of freedom. Could antigen testing be used for people in that position? I do not know how I would manage locked into a hotel room for 14 days, coming out only a couple of times a day. It is a very hard ask of people. We are all the time talking about mental resilience and mental health, and that would certainly test those for many people. Perhaps this is another area where antigen testing could be considered.

To return to aviation, there has been much talk about us potentially being included in the EU digital green certificate initiative. A significant number of people in the United States, a pivotal tourism market for Ireland, have been fully vaccinated. Is there any model whereby Ireland could enter into an agreement with the US travel authorities to offer vaccinated individuals in the US an opportunity, at the earliest possible time, to travel to Ireland, in particular, to the west and south, the regions that depend on tourism? They are going to have opportunities to book flights to Asia and other areas outside the US, perhaps Europe, and Ireland might not be on that list. There is a significant tourism kick in this regard and I am sure it can be developed with just a little outside-the-box thinking.

On the EU digital green certificate, can the Minister provide any assurance that we are going to be included from the start? The mood music at the moment suggests we will not be. I think I heard the Minister mention in the House the other day that the Government, or more likely the Department, is speaking to technology providers to ensure we will be able to be facilitated, but a significant degree of ICT appears to be required to link in to that. Will the Minister comment on security in that regard?

We are now in a position of constant surveillance and we need to get the vaccinations administered. We are doing that and I congratulate the Minister, the Department and all the people nationwide taking part in the vaccination programme. I had the benefit of getting my vaccine last week and a top-class job was done by everybody involved. I was delighted that pharmacists were included in the vaccination centres. We need to get as many people as possible involved. I understand that vaccine supply is always a factor but constant vigilance is required. I again ask the Minister to please have a look, with NPHET, at the issue of aviation. A number of Deputies have spoken about it during the debate. Lufthansa, United Airlines and British Airways are all using antigen testing to fast-track travel and surely we should be able to link in with those programmes.

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